A Good Day for the Good Guys

Now, we know we're not supposed to treat bodycounts as victories, but let's face it, it's better to kill a bunch of enemies than to have one's own troops be killed. And by that metric, it seems like our boys are winning:

US tanks have surged into the Iraqi holy city of Najaf to take control of the governor's office amid fierce fighting with Shia gunmen.

Troops moved into the city's suburbs to draw out militiamen loyal to cleric Moqtada Sadr and allow the armour to sweep in largely unopposed.

The US military reported killing 41 militiamen in Kufa, just outside Najaf.

...

In other developments:

-- An attack on US and Polish troops in the Shia holy city of Karbala leaves one MA gunman dead and nine people wounded, Iraqi doctors say

-- US troops clash with the MA in Baghdad's Sadr City district, killing 10 gunmen

Unfortuntanely, a suicide bomber killed five Iraqis and one US soldier in Baghdad.

Just for Earl:

Do you honestly draw hope, even pleasure, from the terrible fact that we've slaughtered dozens of "dark-skinned people" today?

Yes, Earl. Yes we do.

Although we're saddened that five innocent "dark-skinned people," and one American soldier of undetermined facial hue, were killed. We've got this crazy idea that people ought to be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Some racist said that. We forget who. Maybe Charleton Heston.